Henrik Ibsen - Doll's House

MRS. LINDE

Please don’t think of it! Goodbye, Nora dear, and many thanks.

NORA

Goodbye for the present. Of course you will come back this evening. And you too, Dr. Rank. What do you say? If you are well enough? Oh, you must be! Wrap yourself up well. ( They go to the door all talking together. Children’s voices are heard on the staircase .)

NORA

There they are! There they are! ( She runs to open the door . The NURSE comes in with the children .) Come in! Come in! ( Stoops and kisses them .) Oh, you sweet blessings! Look at them, Christine! Aren’t they darlings?

RANK

Don’t let us stand here in the draught.

HELMER

Come along, Mrs. Linde; the place will only be bearable for a mother now!

(RANK, HELMER, and MRS. LINDE go downstairs. The NURSE comes forward with the children; NORA shuts the hall door .)

NORA

How fresh and well you look! Such red cheeks like apples and roses. ( The children all talk at once while she speaks to them .) Have you had great fun? That’s splendid! What, you pulled both Emmy and Bob along on the sledge?—both at once?—that was good. You are a clever boy, Ivar. Let me take her for a little, Anne. My sweet little baby doll! ( Takes the baby from the MAID and dances it up and down .) Yes, yes, mother will dance with Bob too. What! Have you been snowballing? I wish I had been there too! No, no, I will take their things off, Anne; please let me do it, it is such fun. Go in now, you look half frozen. There is some hot coffee for you on the stove.

( The NURSE goes into the room on the left. NORA takes off the children’s things and throws them about, while they all talk to her at once .)

NORA

Really! Did a big dog run after you? But it didn’t bite you? No, dogs don’t bite nice little dolly children. You mustn’t look at the parcels, Ivar. What are they? Ah, I daresay you would like to know. No, no—it’s something nasty! Come, let us have a game! What shall we play at? Hide and Seek? Yes, we’ll play Hide and Seek. Bob shall hide first. Must I hide? Very well, I’ll hide first.

( She and the children laugh and shout, and romp in and out of the room; at last NORA hides under the table, the children rush in and out for her, but do not see her; they hear her smothered laughter, run to the table, lift up the cloth and find her. Shouts of laughter. She crawls forward and pretends to frighten them. Fresh laughter. Meanwhile there has been a knock at the hall door, but none of them has noticed it. The door is half opened, and KROGSTAD appears, he waits a little; the game goes on.)

KROGSTAD

Excuse me, Mrs. Helmer.

NORA

( With a stifled cry, turns round and gets up on to her knees. ) Ah! what do you want?

KROGSTAD

Excuse me, the outer door was ajar; I suppose someone forgot to shut it.

NORA

( Rising .) My husband is out, Mr. Krogstad.

KROGSTAD

I know that.

NORA

What do you want here, then?

KROGSTAD

A word with you.

NORA

With me?—( To the children, gently .) Go in to nurse. What? No, the strange man won’t do mother any harm. When he has gone we will have another game. ( She takes the children into the room on the left, and shuts the door after them. ) You want to speak to me?

KROGSTAD

Yes, I do.

NORA

Today? It is not the first of the month yet.

KROGSTAD

No, it is Christmas Eve, and it will depend on yourself what sort of a Christmas you will spend.

NORA

What do you mean? Today it is absolutely impossible for me—

KROGSTAD

We won’t talk about that until later on. This is something different. I presume you can give me a moment?

NORA

Yes—yes, I can—although—

KROGSTAD

Good. I was in Olsen’s Restaurant and saw your husband going down the street—

NORA

Yes?

KROGSTAD

With a lady.

NORA

What then?

KROGSTAD

May I make so bold as to ask if it was a Mrs. Linde?

NORA

It was.

KROGSTAD

Just arrived in town?

NORA

Yes, today.

KROGSTAD

She is a great friend of yours, isn’t she?

NORA

She is. But I don’t see—

KROGSTAD

I knew her too, once upon a time.

NORA

I am aware of that.

KROGSTAD

Are you? So you know all about it; I thought as much. Then I can ask you, without beating about the bush—is Mrs. Linde to have an appointment in the Bank?

NORA

What right have you to question me, Mr. Krogstad?—You, one of my husband’s subordinates! But since you ask, you shall know. Yes, Mrs. Linde is to have an appointment. And it was I who pleaded her cause, Mr. Krogstad, let me tell you that.

KROGSTAD

I was right in what I thought, then.

NORA

( Walking up and down the stage .) Sometimes one has a tiny little bit of influence, I should hope. Because one is a woman, it does not necessarily follow that. . . . When anyone is in a subordinate position, Mr. Krogstad, they should really be careful to avoid offending anyone who—who—

KROGSTAD

Who has influence?

NORA

Exactly.

KROGSTAD

( Changing his tone .) Mrs. Helmer, you will be so good as to use your influence on my behalf.

NORA

What? What do you mean?

KROGSTAD

You will be so kind as to see that I am allowed to keep my subordinate position in the Bank.

NORA

What do you mean by that? Who proposes to take your post away from you?

KROGSTAD

Oh, there is no necessity to keep up the pretence of ignorance. I can quite understand that your friend is not very anxious to expose herself to the chance of rubbing shoulders with me; and I quite understand, too, whom I have to thank for being turned off.

NORA

But I assure you—

KROGSTAD

Very likely; but, to come to the point, the time has come when I should advise you to use your influence to prevent that.

NORA

But, Mr. Krogstad, I have no influence.

KROGSTAD

Haven’t you? I thought you said yourself just now—

NORA

Naturally I did not mean you to put that construction on it. I! What should make you think I have any influence of that kind with my husband?

KROGSTAD

Oh, I have known your husband from our student days. I don’t suppose he is any more unassailable than other husbands.

NORA

If you speak slightingly of my husband, I shall turn you out of the house.

KROGSTAD

You are bold, Mrs. Helmer.

NORA

I am not afraid of you any longer. As soon as the New Year comes, I shall in a very short time be free of the whole thing.

KROGSTAD

( Controlling himself .) Listen to me, Mrs. Helmer. If necessary, I am prepared to fight for my small post in the Bank as if I were fighting for my life.

NORA

So it seems.

KROGSTAD

It is not only for the sake of the money; indeed, that weighs least with me in the matter. There is another reason—well, I may as well tell you. My position is this. I daresay you know, like everybody else, that once, many years ago, I was guilty of an indiscretion.

NORA

I think I have heard something of the kind.

KROGSTAD

The matter never came into court; but every way seemed to be closed to me after that. So I took to the business that you know of. I had to do something; and, honestly, I don’t think I’ve been one of the worst. But now I must cut myself free from all that. My sons are growing up; for their sake I must try and win back as much respect as I can in the town. This post in the Bank was like the first step up for me—and now your husband is going to kick me downstairs again into the mud.